


Flow of Souls

by pregkinkalt



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Belly Expansion, Belly Kink, Breast Expansion, F/M, Magical Pregnancy, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnant Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:40:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29102682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pregkinkalt/pseuds/pregkinkalt
Summary: After the events of Advent Children, Cloud and Tifa decide that they're going to try for a child. But when their difficulties conceiving seem to be happening to everyone, Tifa becomes determined to get to the bottom of what could be a new crisis for the Planet.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Flow of Souls

The city of Edge was celebrating.

Granted, it was celebration tinged with trauma (having an enormous monster summoned in your city will do that), but everything had worked out in the end. Bahamut SIN was gone, Sephiroth was gone (again), and most importantly, Geostigma was gone. While some bemoaned the destruction and bewailed the Planet’s continued troubles, many took the turn of events as a sign that things were turning around. And so, celebration. None celebrated as hard as the party that had gathered in a certain bar.

7th Heaven was packed full. It seemed to Tifa that half of Edge was inside. She busied herself with making drinks, and doing her best to keep up with the wisecracks and banter from Cid and Barret, and laughing at Yuffie’s responses to the gruff men. Cloud was being extremely helpful. Almost too helpful. Despite having been in a life-or-death struggle not two hours prior, he was hustling drinks to people as soon as Tifa had finished them, and was back for the next round before she could even register he’d gone. She supposed it was his way of making up for how he’d behaved these past months. She appreciated the gesture, but she wasn’t sure just yet whether he was off the hook.

A lull in the bustle finally let her take a breath. She glanced at her friends, and smiled at the sight of Marlene playing with Red XIII. The adolescent beast indulged the young girl with a certain long-suffering, gritting his teeth as she inadvertently tugged at his mane.

“Oi lassie, wouldn’t you like to play with me?” Cait Sith piped up from the table, where he was standing, entertaining the patrons. Marlene squealed in delight and scooped him up. Red heaved a sigh of relief as he collapsed back into the floor. Tifa wondered where Reeve was. Surely he knew he was welcome? Perhaps he was just busy and remote-controlling Cait Sith was his way of letting the party know he was with them in spirit. That would make sense, Reeve was heading up the bulk of the restoration efforts post-Meteor, it would only make sense for him to be on top of this as well.

Less surprising was Vincent’s absence. In her opinion, Tifa thought Vincent could be a little too antisocial and self-important, not that it stopped Yuffie from pestering him. Then again, maybe that had something to do with why he and Cloud trusted each other. Of course the shared history of abuse and experimentation by Shinra was probably a more direct influence.

Cloud was…well not cheerful, but a load had undeniably been taken off of him. Whether it was Geostigma being cured, or facing his demons in Sephiroth again, she couldn’t say. He caught her staring at him, and the slightest twitch of his lips made her face flush. She scolded herself. _“Years later and you’re still acting like a little girl with a crush?”_ She asked herself, throwing herself back into work.

The celebrating continued for hours on end. Reeve did eventually stop in to make an appearance, updating everyone on the damage that Bahamut SIN had caused and how his WRO organization planned to fix it. It was getting on to midnight when Barret loudly declared that it was way past Marlene’s bedtime and that everyone needed to be getting on home. There were mumbled protests, but nobody wanted to argue with a protective father—especially not one who had a gun attached to his arm.

Tifa bid farewell to the last of the guests and turned around to find Cloud already cleaning up.

“I’m going to make sure Marlene and Denzel are all set,” she said. He nodded and continued about his work.

Barret was reading Marlene a bedtime story, so Tifa gently rapped on the door next to hers.

“Denzel? You okay in there?”

“Yeah,” the subdued reply came. “You can come in.”

Tifa pushed the door open. Denzel was still dressed, laying on top of his bed, staring at the ceiling deep in thought. _“Just like Cloud,”_ Tifa thought.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Just a busy day.”

“You can say that again. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Tifa?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re a family, right? You, me, Marlene and Cloud?”

“Of course we are. Do we not feel like it?”

“We do now that Cloud is back,” Denzel admitted. “But what if he leaves again?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Tifa said firmly. “I won’t let him do that to you again.”

Denzel looked partly reassured, partly scared by Tifa’s sudden intensity. She let loose the tension she hadn’t realized that she’d been holding and smoothed out Denzel’s hair.

“Get some sleep,” she said. “We’ll talk some more in the morning.”

Denzel nodded and got up to begin getting ready for bed. Tifa returned downstairs, not sure what to anticipate.

What she found was a near spotless bar. Cloud was still at it, and the place would be ready for business at opening. If they opened tomorrow, Tifa was very tempted to take the day off after everything that had happened.

“You missed a spot,” she teased. Cloud actually did a double take trying to find it. She giggled, then chastised herself. She was twenty two years old, she didn’t _giggle_.

“I’m sorry,” was all that Cloud said. There was a lot to unpack in those two words.

“Go on,” she prompted.

“You were right,” he continued. “Which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. But I was selfish and stupid, and you didn’t deserve it. The kids didn’t deserve it.”

“You’ve got a lot to make up for,” Tifa agreed. “But we can worry about that tomorrow.”

She had come to the space behind the bar, but hadn’t realized that she’d been leaning in until Cloud closed the distance and whispered into her ear

“I was sort of hoping I could start making up for it right now.”

That lit a fire in places that Tifa had forgotten could feel so alive. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a kiss, his hands found themselves on her hips, caressing the portion of exposed skin at her midriff.

When was the last time they had kissed, much less made love? Definitely after the Highwind and Meteor, but before the remnants showed up. Too long was the correct answer, no matter what the accurate one was. Tifa pressed herself as deeply into Cloud as she could, eager for his taste. She was well aware that he loved the feeling of her ample breasts squishing against him, and she was satisfied to hear his pleasurable moans as she did so.

The first time they had had sex was underneath the Highwind just before they had descended into the Northern Cave to defeat Sephiroth. That time had held an understandable passion bred by urgency: they might well be dead in 24 hours, better to die fulfilled. Every time after that had been no less enjoyable, but somehow off.

This was different from any of those. It was more akin to their first time, but without the threat of imminent death hanging over them. Was this how it was for normal people all the time?

She broke the kiss and eagerly led him to their bedroom, despite her temptation to take him right here and now on top of the bar. She had scarcely crossed the threshold when she felt Cloud embrace her from behind. She hummed in delight as he kissed her neck while his hands cupped her breasts. She bit her lip as he lovingly kneaded them, gasping when his thumbs expertly danced over the spots where he knew her nipples were. They were erect in an instant, and suddenly she felt extremely constrained by her clothes. Fortunately Cloud could sense this, as he unzipped her leather top. She shrugged out of it and got her undershirt off as quickly as she could. Cloud then did the honors of undoing her bra, letting her breasts free, pert and perky in spite of their massive size. Tifa turned to face him and placed his hand in the valley of cleavage. No words passed between them, just a silent understanding of trust and love. Cloud quickly undressed as Tifa removed the skirt and shorts she was wearing. They raced to the bed and resumed their reacquaintance. As much as Cloud loved Tifa’s breasts, Tifa was glad when he turned his attention away from them and gently stimulated her clitoris. She cried out in arousal as she felt his fingers slide in and out of her, and she crossed her legs around him, eager to keep him close. She felt the growing slickness and allowed an aroused moan to escape, though careful to keep it quiet.

She looked down at Cloud’s cock, pleased to see it fully at attention. He noticed her gaze and looked to her for permission.

“Get inside me,” she whispered, canting her hips. “Please, I need it now.” He obliged, sliding in with practiced ease, and out again with precise control.

He knew how to maximize her pleasure, agonizingly slow at first, before picking up speed and building to a frenzy of passionate fucking. She came quickly, which only encouraged him to keep going, building up to his own release, pulling out before he exploded all over her stomach.

“Ready for round two?” He asked. She nodded weakly, ready to have her brains fucked out. This time she lasted longer and had to bury her head in his neck to muffle her orgasmic scream. They collapsed into a heap on the bed, covered in sweat and fluids and happy simply to be alive.

“So. Am I forgiven?”

“Mmm…not just yet.”

* * *

In the two years since the defeat of Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, things had settled into a sort of routine, albeit one that was rarely boring.

Tifa still watched over Marlene and Denzel, and Cloud did his best to be a present father figure, despite Barret’s insistence that _he_ was Marlene’s daddy. Strife Delivery continued to do well, although Cloud resisted expanding and hiring more help. This continued even after Cid offered him a sort of partnership in using his airships to expand his scope and improve delivery times. That refusal had led to an argument between Cloud and Tifa, one that still wasn’t definitively resolved.

7th Heaven thrived, and Tifa pointedly did hire more help, which left more time for her and Cloud to be a family. Barret stayed with them when he could, though he made a point of giving them plenty of time to themselves, sometimes taking Marlene and Denzel with him to see new places.

Their sex life had never been better.

Then there were the missions they were drawn into. Reeve’s organization needed all the help it could get, and he didn’t trust anyone as much as his former comrades. Vincent mostly kept to himself, as usual, as did Red XIII. Tifa planned to take a trip with Cloud to Cosmo Canyon at some point; camping in the mountains sounded romantic, and it was a stone’s throw from Nibelheim if they wanted to pay respects or remembrances.

Yuffie was busy with Wutai’s own restoration efforts, though she assisted Reeve whenever he asked, and stopped in to visit at least once very two or three months. Upon her last visit, she had mentioned that Rufus Shinra had requested a meeting with her to see about establishing a worldwide communications network, with Wutai as a central point. As Tifa understood it, it would use computers, and if she knew Rufus, would likely be called something stupid like “the Shintranet.” She wondered how something like that was supposed to be better than just using a phone, but she didn’t know enough about computers to make that assessment.

Computers aside, life was about as simple as it could be. Tifa wasn’t entirely opposed to that, but if she was being honest with herself, there was something missing. Something unplaceable and unknown.

Tifa thought of herself as a pretty introspective person, so it was a surprise to her when it was Cloud who solved the mystery without even knowing it. It was the middle of the day, long before the busiest hours of the bar. Cloud had just returned from a delivery, and there was currently nothing else for him to be working on. Tifa was wiping the bar down, more out of a need to do something than anything else. Their silences were normally companionable, but today, Cloud’s seemed more thoughtful before he finally spoke up.

“Tifa…I think we should talk about kids.”

“What about the kids?”

“No not the kids, I mean…well, _kids_.”

“I don’t follow.”

“I want to have a kid. With you. Like, one of our own, not adopted.”

“Oh…” Tifa paused, surprised. Although perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she was more surprised at the lack of surprise that bombshell had elicited. She and Cloud had never discussed children before.

“What’s brought this on?”

“I don’t know. It’s just kind of been in my head for a few days.”

Tifa thought as she resumed her cleaning. The thought was perfectly natural in a lot of ways. She and Cloud had been together for four years now. They had always been extremely cautious, and used at least two methods of birth control at all times (typically the pill and condoms, and Cloud was very conscientious about pulling out if they were in the mood to forgo condoms). Some traditionalists would be aghast at their present living situation, but since Meteor, the institution of marriage had started to go by the wayside a bit. People still got married, certainly, but they didn’t seem to make as big a deal out of what they did with their significant other. The next step of their relationship wasn’t nearly so obvious, so why shouldn’t it be a child of their own?”

“Yeah,” she finally said. “I think we’re in a good enough place money-wise that we could do it.”

“And even if we weren’t, it’s not like we wouldn’t have help,” Cloud pointed out.

“So you’ll accept help for our kid but not for the business,” Tifa teased. Cloud waved off the taunt.

“I’m serious. I know a lot of people would be scared by this, but…I’m not. Not when I think about you and me doing it together.”

That got Tifa feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

“Well, I’m still on the pill, but we could always get a head start,” she said, winking at him flirtatiously. It was silly, she knew, but it still worked, so she let herself have that guilty pleasure.

Cloud didn’t need to be told twice. In two shakes, he’d flipped the sign to CLOSED, pulled the blinds, and was taking her on the bar. Tifa was grateful that Marlene and Denzel were at school, allowing herself to be a little louder and more appreciative than normal.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, Cloud and Tifa stuck to a regular sex schedule. The frequency of their attempts rose as Tifa began ovulating, which suited both of them just fine. In time, however, it became clear that Tifa was not yet pregnant, and soon her period would begin. They tried keeping the frequency up. Nothing the next month. They tried giving it a break before starting again. Nothing. Tifa scheduled a doctor’s appointment. No signs of infertility. _Cloud_ scheduled a doctor’s appointment. Nothing wrong there either.

Even though it hadn’t been her idea, Tifa was taking it harder. She knew intellectually that a lot of people had trouble getting pregnant, but that didn’t help her emotionally. As they kept trying and trying, Tifa’s optimism began to waver.

She and Cloud took the vacation to Cosmo Canyon. It was beautiful, but the melancholy that normally permeated the air there was just a bit suffocating. The first night at camp they reluctantly agreed that they weren’t in any state to be having sex. They ended up trying three nights later, but Tifa was under no illusions that that time had been any different. After a week in the mountains, they decided to take a brief visit to Nibelheim before stopping over in Rocket Town to visit Cid and Shera so they could bum a ride back to Edge.

Nibelheim had been abandoned by Shinra after the Meteor panic. A small community of outcasts had sprung up and begun trying to rebuild. Plans were underway to demolish the Mako reactor, and Cloud heard whispers that they were talking about doing the same to the Shinra mansion. Tifa felt oddly numb during the visit. Sephiroth’s destruction of their town had meant so much to the both of them, but the promise of rebuilding inspired nothing in her. She could tell Cloud was feeling the same way, but they could talk about it after the trip was over.

Their moods improved as they approached Rocket Town. Cid was as loud as ever, and glad to see them both. As he took Cloud on a tour of his new hangar, Shera insisted Tifa join her for some famous “goddamn” tea.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Shera got right to the point. “You and Cloud look miserable. Was your trip that bad?”

“No!” Tifa said, aghast. “I mean…no, not in _that_ way, things are…”

“Tifa, honey, it’s okay. My lips are always sealed. Start at the beginning.”

Tifa took a deep breath.

“We’re…we’re trying for a baby.”

Shera’s shriek of joy made Tifa nearly drop her tea.

“Sorry! Sorry, that’s just wonderful!”

“It would be if my stupid uterus would just take it,” Tifa muttered, sipping her tea. “We’ve been trying for months and nothing. We’ve both seen doctors, and as far as they’re concerned we’re fine.”

“It can be difficult even when you’re healthy. Cid and I have been trying for a year now,” Shera said casually. Tifa’s eyebrows shot up. That was news.

“Really? Cid doesn’t seem…”

“Like the nurturing dad type? Yeah, I know. But it was his idea.”

“Huh. Who would’ve thought? It was Cloud’s idea too, but I feel like I’m taking this harder than he is.”

“He’s not the one whose body has to do all the work,” Shera pointed out. “But don’t let that get you down, Tifa. It’s totally normal for these things to take time.”

“I know,” Tifa sighed, setting her teacup down. “I’m surprised at myself. I honestly hadn’t even thought of it in the last few years, and then he brings it up and now it’s all I can think about.”

“Well yeah, all you do is be a mom anyway,” Shera laughed. “I’ve been to your bar. People feel at home there. And then there’s all the stories Cid’s told me of your travels. You take care of people, Tifa. It’s what you love, and nurturing a life from the very beginning makes perfect sense for you.”

Tifa sat, deep in thought. None of what Shera was saying was particularly surprising, but she did wonder why she’d never thought of it that way. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the loud voice of Cid presaging his and Cloud’s return, an old argument had apparently resumed.

“That Tonberry did _not_ get me in the ass! And how the hell would you know anyway? You were running like a scared little Moogle!”

“I dunno, maybe the way you were clutching your ass as you darted ahead of the rest of us,” Cloud said, a smirk on his face.

“Shit,” Cid said shaking his head. “And here I thought you were busy starin’ at Tifa’s tits.”

Cid guffawed at his own joke and clapped Cloud on the shoulder while the women rolled their eyes. Tifa was used to cracks about her chest, and if she and Cloud succeeded, they’d only get bigger.

Despite Cid and Shera’s offer for them to stay at least one night, Cloud and Tifa were eager to get a move on. So Cid obligingly readied the _Highwind_ (the _Shera_ had been lent out to WRO for an operation) and they set off.

In just a few short hours, Cid was jetting off back to Rocket Town, and Cloud and Tifa were making the hike to Kalm for the night. The plains stretched in all directions around them, and turning around, Tifa could just make out the Chocobo Ranch in the distance.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” She asked. Cloud nodded, but remained silent.

“Shera said she and Cid are trying to conceive too,” she said after a few minutes.

“Yeah, Cid and I talked about that too.”

“Sounds like they’re having problems too.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation died. Tifa kept thinking about her conversation with Shera. She knew there wasn’t anything to blame herself for, but she still felt terrible.

“I know you already talked with Shera about this, but you shouldn’t blame yourself that we haven’t succeeded yet.”

“I know. I just wish we could figure it out.” Cloud stopped and took Tifa’s chin in his hand.

“We’ll get there. Eventually.” He kissed her gently and held her close to him as they entered town.

* * *

“It’s not just you. We’ve been getting reports from clinics and hospitals all over the planet. Women have just stopped conceiving.”

Reeve Tuesti was a fairly serious person, but right now he looked downright grim. He had come over on a social call to 7th Heaven, when talk had turned to their difficulties.

“How long?” Tifa asked, horrified.

“Hard to know for sure. At least the last four months. We don’t have accurate data from Wutai or anything south of Corel. We also don’t know if it’s happened all at once or if certain areas were hit first. Wouldn’t surprise me if Edge were the epicenter, but we won’t know that for a while.”

“And you have no idea what caused it?” Cloud asked from his place leaning against the wall.

“None. We’ve been examining fertile men and women and can’t figure out what’s causing it.”

“What can we do to help?” Tifa asked. Reeve gave a short laugh.

“I’m not sure you can. But I’ll be sure to keep you up to date.”

The visit ended amicably as usual, but with an undercurrent of worry.

Tifa stood near the closed door lost in thoughts. She softened when she felt Cloud’s arms around her.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, kissing her ear. “They’ll figure out what’s wrong, we’ll help fix it, and then we’ll have our baby.”

“What if we can’t?”

“Hey, that’s not like you at all. I’m supposed to be the pessimist.”

“I’m serious Cloud, what if we don’t fix this?”

Tifa turned and broke down, sobbing into his shoulder. Cloud put his hand on her head and held her.

“Then we’ll have a perfect family anyway.”

* * *

Months passed with no word from Reeve. Tifa took it upon herself to try to find answers herself. She had never been an academic, but she threw herself into researching whatever she could that might have anything to do with this: radiation, magic, mako energy, Shinra. She even returned to Cosmo Canyon to ask Red XIII if she could browse the late Bugenhagen’s library. To her great surprise, she found Yuffie in the canyon visiting Red.

“C’moooooonnnnnnnnn. You’ve been staring at these dusty old books for daaaaayyyyyyss! We should go out and fight some monsters!” Yuffie whined as Tifa pored over yet another book about the origins of life.

“No, I can’t let this rest,” Tifa said determinedly. “There’s got to be a reason why women aren’t conceiving, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it if it kills me.”

“Don’t know why,” Yuffie said, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face. “I kind of like being able to fuck whoever I want without having to use protection.”

That got Tifa to give her friend a sideways glance.

“What?” Yuffie said defensively. “I’m young and healthy, I have a sex life!”

“I didn’t think you were interested in anyone,” Tifa said. “When did this happen?”

“I’m not,” Yuffie said. “I can sleep with as many guys as I want, _mom_.”

“Not judging, just surprised.”

“Uh-huh, sure. You sound like my dad.”

“He probably isn’t judging either…”

“Oh no, he totally is,” Yuffie interrupted before breaking out her Godo impression: “You’ve got the future of Wutai to consider! This is not the way of our people! What if you get pregnant? Or a disease? When will you take responsibility for your life?”

Okay, that did sound kind of like Godo.

“Dude’s so out of touch he doesn’t realize that everyone my age _is_ shacking up. They just don’t tell their parents about it. So really he should be thanking me for being so honest!”

Tifa let Yuffie rant and returned to her book. After a few minutes, she realized that Yuffie had ceased. She instinctively held out her hand, not even looking away from the book.

“You’re no fun,” Yuffie grumbled as she dropped a stolen materia back into Tifa’s outstretched hand. Sometimes Tifa forgot that Yuffie was now the age that she herself had been when they had first met. She certainly didn’t seem to have matured past sixteen a lot of the time.

“If only Bugenhagen were still around,” Tifa sighed as she closed the book. “He knew everything there is to know about the planet.”

“Well have you talked to Red? If anyone knows half of what that old geezer did, it’s him.”

“I’ve tried. If he knows anything, he’s not telling. And I don’t think he’d hold out on me for something this important.”

“Very true,” the voice of Red himself said, surprising the two women.

“Red! Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”

Red padded softly into the study and sat down in front of them. “You’re right that I wouldn’t keep anything pertaining to this a secret from you, Tifa. Now that being said, I have a hunch. But just a hunch.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not sure how to test it though, and no matter what it’ll probably be dangerous.”

“Come on, Red, danger’s our middle name!” Yuffie said, perking up at the promise of adventure.

“Well then, I think we should check out Mideel.”

“Mideel? What’s in Mideel?”

Red gave Tifa a surprised look. “The Lifestream of course. Honestly, you of all people should remember just how close it is to the surface there.”

Tifa’s brow furrowed. “You want to investigate the Lifestream? Why?”

“I’ll explain once we’ve seen it,” Red said cryptically. “We should make travel preparations.”

Tifa had taken Cloud’s prize gold chocobo to Cosmo Canyon, but fitting her and Yuffie plus supplies onto it was going to be a no-go. So it was decided that they’d use the chocobo as a pack animal, carrying the supplies, while they traveled on foot where possible. Of course, Mideel was on an island nearly on the other side of the planet. So, once again, Tifa found herself traveling to Rocket Town from Cosmo Canyon, although this time she had Yuffie’s ceaseless chatter for company instead of Cloud’s comfortable silence. At least Red did his part in keeping the calm. They encountered few monsters along the way, although Tifa couldn’t be sure, but it felt like more than when she and Cloud had come through here recently. Monster attacks had grown rarer since Sephiroth’s defeat, but it was common knowledge that the danger was far from gone. It felt like old times, fighting monsters alongside Yuffie and Red XIII. Hell, she and Yuffie were even wearing the outfits they used to back in the day. All black was starting to feel a bit passé, especially with all that leather.

Cid had been happy to once again give them a lift, not even asking what on earth they wanted to go to Mideel for. Soon enough, the _Shera_ was landing on the village’s outskirts.

“Can you smell it?” Red asked, sniffing the air.

“No,” Tifa replied, taking in the fresh air.

“Hm. Probably harder for humans to smell it. But there’s definitely something wrong with the Lifestream. We should get a closer look.”

The village was still something of a wreck. Ultimate Weapon’s rampage and the eruption of the Lifestream still lingered in the air. But the buildings had mostly been rebuilt, although Tifa would be lying if she said she was confident in their integrity.

The Lifestream itself had receded somewhat, undoubtedly this had allowed the measure of rebuilding to take place at all. Tifa pondered whether to ask around about any fertility issues (Reeve _had_ mentioned they had no data from this part of the world), but Yuffie was already going full steam ahead, and Red was hot on her heels trying to make sure she didn’t get herself killed.

“Any idea what it is, Red?” Tifa asked as she caught up with them. Red was still sniffing the air and the ground.

“No. All I can say for certain is that something about the composition of the mako energy here is different. Almost as if it’s depleted.”

“That can’t be good. Even when Shinra had mako reactors pumping it out of the planet it never _changed_ the Lifestream.”

“Indeed. I wish I could say anything more with any certainty, but with grandpa gone, I think our best bet will be to get in contact with Reeve.”

“Yeah, right,” Tifa agreed distractedly. She was watching Yuffie, who was bent over looking into the crevasse where the faint green glow could be seen. “Yuffie, be careful,” she said, going into mom mode against her will. “I got lucky when I fell in there.”

Yuffie rolled her eyes and straightened up.

“You’re talking to a ninja, remember? I’ve got reflexes like a cat, and balance like a —whoa whoa whoa!”

Yuffie’s arms began windmilling as she tried to regain her balance. Tifa’s eyes widened in horror as the younger woman teetered at the edge of the hole. For a brief moment, it looked like Yuffie would make it, but then she fell.

“Yuffie!” Tifa cried as she leaped forward, hand outstretched to try to catch her. Her heart thumped in her chest as she caught Yuffie’s hand…and slid in after her.

* * *

“Ughhhh….where are we?”

Tifa’s eyes shot open as she heard Yuffie’s voice. Dazed, she sat up and tried to get her bearings.

“Yuffie! Oh thank god you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just embarrassed.”

“Yeah, if we make it out of here, I’ll kill you,” Tifa said, frowning. “I told you to be careful!”

Yuffie rolled her eyes and stood up.

“Let’s worry about getting out of wherever this is.”

Tifa took in her surroundings. It certainly wasn’t Cloud’s mind, which was a relief. It _was_ however empty enough to be Yuffie’s mind. There were no discernible walls or even a floor. Everything pulsed with a green light. It was in equal measures comforting and disconcerting.

“We must be in the Lifestream itself,” she said. “But this is completely different than the last time.”

“Well I guess we pick a direction and walk.” Yuffie said, checking to make sure her giant shuriken was still in top condition.

Tifa willed her legs to move, but for all she knew it was all for naught. The scenery didn’t change, and she and Yuffie didn’t make so much as a sound as they stepped.

“We’re getting nowhere,” Tifa muttered. Yuffie was starting to panic.

“HELLO! ANYBODY HERE?!” She shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Tifa was about to retort that obviously there wasn’t anyone else here when to her great surprise, Yuffie received an answer.

“Wow, it’s been a while, hasn’t it, Yuffie? Tifa?”

Tifa wheeled around, looking for the source of the voice. She knew that voice. But it couldn’t possibly be…

“Looks like you’ve taken a tumble. Wouldn’t be the first ones, but I kind of thought Cloud would be the last.”

Suddenly, she came into view. As radiant as ever, with a coy smile and a glint of mischief in her bright eyes.

Aerith.

Yuffie shrieked in surprise and bolted forward. Tifa followed close behind, unable to believe it.

“Aerith, how are you here?” Tifa stopped as she got a better look at her dearly departed friend. “And why are you so pregnant?!”

In life, Aerith Gainsborough had been a slender young woman, though not without her curves. Where Tifa was more noticeably gifted in the bust, Aerith’s womanly charms were perhaps most prominent in her hips. Those hips were widened now, supporting a distended gravid womb that was larger than any pregnant belly Tifa had ever seen. Her breasts had also grown, rivaling Tifa’s. However Aerith didn’t seem encumbered by the changes to her body at all. Possibly because she was a ghost, or something like a ghost, but Tifa couldn’t fail to notice that her usual long dress had (apparently by magic) expanded to accommodate her growing bump. It clung tightly to her belly, exposing its exact shape and curvature, but hung down to her calves as normal, remaining free and flowy around her legs. It also probably exposed more cleavage than Aerith normally put on display (indeed, the top button of the dress was popped open), but considering how much her breasts had grown, it was reasonably modest, aided by the short red jacket that Aerith also wore.

“Zack and I have been extremely busy,” was Aerith’s winking answer. Tifa was no prude, but that got her to blush fast. “I’m kidding,” Aerith added. “Mostly. I’ve missed being able to tease you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Tifa said, her voice breaking just a tiny bit as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “We all have.”

“I know. We can keep watch on all of you. Zack and I both had a few words with Cloud back during the Geostigma thing.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Tifa laughed, pointing at Aerith’s stomach. “Explain.”

Aerith’s cheerful mood dropped.

“The Planet isn’t happy,” she said sadly. “Too many things have put it in jeopardy in too short a time. Sephiroth, Geostigma, plus everything else you’ve been fighting.”

“What are you saying?” Tifa gasped. Even Yuffie was deathly silent, focusing on Aerith.

“The Planet has decided to cut humanity off.”

“We’re gonna die?!” So much for Yuffie being quiet.

“No, no, you’ll all live full lives, but the Planet is tired. It intends for you all to be the last of humanity.”

“So every woman who can’t conceive…” Tifa began, piecing it together. Aerith nodded.

“The Lifestream wants to continue the flow of souls, but the Planet won’t let it. So, they’ve all ended up in me.”

Tifa couldn’t speak. It sounded impossible, but Aerith was no liar.

“Aerith, if you’ve been keeping watch over us, you know that Cloud and I have been trying to conceive?”

Aerith nodded sadly. “Yes. And so many times you’ve tried it would have worked.”

“Times, plural? So our _children_ …”

“Are in here, yes,” Aerith said, gently placing her hands on her belly. “At least three of these little ones belong to you and Cloud.”

“How do we get them out?” Tifa’s voice came out so determined, it almost wasn’t a question. Aerith faltered.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “As far as I know, I’m stuck being pregnant for eternity.”

No. This wasn’t right.

“Aerith, you used to be able to speak to the Planet. Can you still?”

Aerith sat (on what, Tifa couldn’t tell) deep in thought.

“I’ve tried,” she finally said, caressing her bump. “But it’s harder than it used to be. It doesn’t want to listen. All of its defenses have been wiped out, a lot of them by _you_ I should point out.”

“That’s not fair, the Weapons were rampaging!” Yuffie piped up angrily. “People were getting hurt!”

“I know that,” Aerith said patiently. “And deep down I think the Planet knows that too, but it holds you responsible for some of its woes. It is in crisis still. At its weakest. If it were to be convinced to let the flow of souls resume, it would be least likely to listen to you.”

“I have to try. Please, Aerith. Help me.” Tears came freely as she kneeled in front of her friend. Tifa was far too tired of holding them in right now, and didn’t care how undignified begging might seem. Aerith’s hands clasped hers, surprisingly warm, but just as soft as Tifa remembered.

“Of course I’ll help you,” she said, and Tifa felt as though a Cure spell had settled in on her soul. Aerith tended to have that effect on people.

“So what do we do?” Tifa asked, wiping the tears from her face.

“I’ll take you further in. The Planet won’t be able to hear you very well this close to the surface, even if I’m with you.”

“Any way I can peace out?” Yuffie asked. “This isn’t really my deal.”

“Sorry kiddo, you’re stuck with us for now,” Aerith said. “We’ll have to convince the planet to let you back up.”

“Odd, Cloud and I didn’t have to do that last time.”

“Things were different then. The Planet is a lot less lenient on people falling in here now. Let’s get moving.”

They walked in silence. Tifa tried not to stare at Aerith as her bump swayed with each step, to say nothing of her hips. Somehow, Aerith made the legendary “pregnancy waddle” look dignified. Sexy even.

As before, Tifa couldn’t tell how long or how far they walked. Nothing seemed to change around them, she only had Aerith’s word for it that they were making progress. And then suddenly, something shifted. It was almost imperceptible at first, but before Tifa knew it, the color of their surroundings had changed to a brilliant white.

“We’re here,” Aerith confirmed. She looked around for a moment as if trying to decide something. “Do you think you could help me down? I feel like I should be kneeling.”

“Can you even kneel?” Yuffie snickered. Tifa smacked Yuffie’s shoulder and gave Aerith her arm for support as she lowered her gravid body to the ground. As it turned out, Aerith couldn’t quite kneel. The weight of her womb made the position untenable for more than a few seconds, so she ultimately ended up half sitting half laying down, with her legs elegantly tucked to the side.

“Can you hear me?” She asked softly, placing her hand flat on the ground and closing her eyes. “Mother Gaia?” Nothing happened. “Please. Hear me.” The faintest thrum rippled through the air. “I’ve brought someone to see you.” A stronger thrum. “Tifa, say something,” Aerith coaxed.

“Um, hi…Planet,” Tifa said, kneeling by her friend. “I don’t really know what I’m supposed to say. I’m sorry that you’re scared, and I know we haven’t done the best job taking care of you. But please, please let us have our children back. We promise to do better. We’re already fighting for you, we won’t rest until you’re safe.” The air was still again. The Planet had not heeded her.

“Please,” Tifa tried again, clenching her hands in prayer. “You know what it is to be a mother, please help me be one too. Help _us_.”

For a moment, there was still more silence. Tifa felt tears prick her eyes, when suddenly the thrumming resumed, and the light grew brighter.

“Thank you,” she whispered. The Planet had heard her. The light became blinding, and then as soon as it had begun, it ceased, returning the area to its normal hue.

“You did good, Tifa,” Aerith said, giving her friend a gentle smile. Tifa leaned down to help her up. As she touched Aerith, she felt a jolt, almost akin to static. But it persisted longer than any static shock Tifa had ever had, and it felt much more pleasurable. Tifa felt her folds becoming damp, and her breath grew short as she let go of Aerith.

“You okay?” Yuffie asked, patting her on the shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just _whoa_!” The sensation intensified, almost bringing Tifa to orgasm. Yuffie apparently had begun feeling it too, as she bit her lip and was anxiously rubbing her legs together.

“Can we find a way out of here now?” She gasped. “I’m gonna need some privacy.”

Tifa was going to chastise Yuffie for that remark, but she was starting to agree. The surge of pleasure hummed inside her, traveling through her body like it was in her bloodstream. It favored her erogenous zones and womb, but she felt it everywhere to some extent.

“Did your boobs get bigger?” Yuffie asked, cocking her head. Come to think of it, her shirt and heavy duty sports bra were feeling a bit snug. She looked down and to her shock saw that her breasts were indeed bigger, and continuing to grow. She gave them an experimental squeeze and whimpered at the thrill of ecstasy it provoked. She felt a tight sensation in her stomach, pressure building as though all of this sexual energy was overflowing and needed release.

“Aerith, what’s going on?” She finally had the wherewithal to ask.

“I don’t know,” Aerith said, concern clouding her face. “I could try asking the Planet.”

But Tifa didn’t need the Planet to explain to her what started happening next. Suddenly, the feeling of pressure exploded, and past the curve of her chest, her belly expanded rapidly, filling her view in a matter of seconds.

“What the fuck?!” Yuffie cried, the same thing happening to her. In retrospect, it was lucky they were both wearing midriff baring shirts to begin with. The buttons of Yuffie’s short shorts popped off like a bullet, but they remained in place thanks to her widening hips. The scrawny stick of a girl had curves to spare now, though her breasts were still smaller even than Aerith's had been while she was alive. Tifa felt her suspenders sliding out as her breasts and belly pushed them aside, though thankfully they remained intact and continued holding up her skirt. She tentatively felt her belly, noting that her navel had popped out. There was no question about it, she was pregnant.

Everything she had wanted, but was this how she had wanted it to happen?

Aerith had watched the happenings in surprise, but she remained attuned to the voice of the Planet, which was apparently speaking to her again judging by her expression.

“What happened?!” Yuffie demanded. “Why am I so big?! Why is Tifa so big?! Why is any of this happening?!”

“Well Yuffie, when a man and a woman love each other very much…”

“I’m gonna kill you!”

“Stop it,” Tifa snapped. “I think I know what happened. All of the attempts at conceiving have caught up with me.”

“That’s right,” Aerith said. “Like I said, at least three of your attempts would have been successful. Maybe more. So now they’re inside you instead of me.”

“But why am I so fucking big?!” Yuffie demanded.

“Well Yuffie, when you have a prolific amount of unprotected sex, things happen,” Tifa said shortly. “You’re pregnant too, dummy. Several times over.”

Yuffie could only sputter and stammer in response.

“Seven months with at least triplets,” Aerith said, leaning in to get a better view of Tifa’s belly. Her own belly had not diminished in size at all. “And who even knows with Yuffie? I didn’t even know any of hers were in me to begin with.”

“So why are you still pregnant then?” Tifa asked.

“I don’t think it’s going to go away any time soon. People will keep conceiving, and there’ll be something of a backlog. So it could be several years before I’m not pregnant, if it ever catches up at all that is.”

“I’m so sorry,” Tifa said. Aerith shook her head, her expression cheery.

“No, not at all! I don’t mind it in the least. I like feeling so many souls close to mine. And it does things to Zack in bed that I don’t feel decent discussing. Fifty gil says Cloud’s the same way.”

“What do you need money for?” Tifa retorted. They both laughed, knowing that soon their goodbyes must come.

“Let’s get you out of here. I can’t wait to see Cloud’s face when he sees you.”

“Yeah, that’s another thing we need to talk about: please stop watching us have sex.”

For once, Tifa was pleased to see, it was her turn to get the better of Aerith, who was stammering denials and excuses faster than one ran from a Tonberry.

“God, my dad’s gonna kill me,” Yuffie moaned. “Although maybe he’d take pity on a pregnant woman?”

“You’ll just have to see,” Tifa said. “Come on, waiting around here isn’t going to make it any better.”

* * *

If Red and Cid were shocked to see their friends return from the Lifestream (again, in Tifa’s case), that was nothing to the shock upon seeing their distended wombs.

“So…I take it you were successful?” Red finally said.

“Let’s go home,” was Tifa’s only reply.

Tifa insisted that they take Yuffie back to Wutai first, in order to minimize the risk of the highly pregnant ninja making a break for it. Not that she would have gotten too far in her encumbered state, but Tifa didn’t want to underestimate her. For one thing, being pregnant hadn’t stopped her from trying to steal Tifa’s materia on at least three separate occasions on the flight. Red volunteered to walk into the village with Yuffie, leaving Cid to take Tifa back to Edge.

“Hoo boy, this is just weird,” he said at least every ten minutes.

“Cid, you know what this means, right? You and Shera can start trying again.”

Cid didn’t respond, but he also didn’t try to hide his grin.

An eternity later, Cid had landed on the barren wastes outside what had once been Midgar. Tifa had called Cloud asking him to bring a car. She hadn’t described her condition to him, but she did warn him that he might be in for a shock.

It hadn’t been enough.

He had almost fainted when he saw her, relying on Cid’s quick thinking to remain standing.

“Wha-how-why-huh?!” It was odd hearing such a jumble coming from someone who was normally so unflappable.

Tifa had promised explanations at home, so he gently helped her get into the backseat of the car and began driving back to the bar.

She told him of her ordeal in great detail. He hadn’t been too surprised that Aerith was still keeping watch on them, but the knowledge that she was perhaps pregnant forever was something he clearly was not fully absorbing just yet. Not that Tifa could blame him.

“She said that it helped spice things up with her and Zack.”

“Oh…is that so?”

Was it just her, or was he blushing?

“She made me a bet you know.”

“What does she need money for?”

“That’s what I said. But aren’t you going to ask what it was?”

“You’re probably going to tell me anyway.”

“She bet me that you’d be the same way.”

Cloud’s eyes bugged out. The bar was already closed, and they were upstairs in their bedroom. Marlene and Denzel weren’t due back for a few hours yet. Cloud’s mouth was suddenly bone dry as he beheld his extremely pregnant girlfriend stripping off her ill-fitting clothes, putting her glorious gravid belly on full display, accompanied by tits that had been perfect before, but were now transcendently massive.

“I’ve got seven months of pregnancy hormones in me now,” Tifa whispered lasciviously, rubbing her belly. “And it’s making me horny as hell.”

Cloud was speechless. Tifa didn’t mind.

“Get over here and fuck me.”

Cloud obliged.

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of those stories that works best when you don't think too much about the specifics and minutiae. I waffled back and forth on whether every woman in the world who had tried to conceive would become pregnant too, but I wanted to keep Aerith pregnant, and I feel like it's kind of more fun (and funny) if it's just Tifa and Yuffie.
> 
> I've only ever played the original game and seen Advent Children, so I ignored some things that I know came about because of Dirge of Cerberus, etc. Also, didn't quite intend to have some Machinabridged references in there, but I don't feel bad about including them.


End file.
